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"Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!"

Julie N

10 weeks

02.12.2012 13:14:14

10 weeks out!!!

This past week has been crazy. I apologize for the late blog post. This will be a jumbo post for me.

I survived Superbowl Sunday without a hitch. I’m not going to lie, that was weighing heavy on my mind the week before and even up til the morning off. Instead of expanding our bellies, we expanded our family. We adopted little Bella on Sunday morning from a shelter. I never thought of myself as a “small dog” person, but it was love at first sight.

Last Friday my youngest started the day off the with the stomach flu, by that afternoon my daughter followed suit. Fast forward a few days later, they got hit again. The 2^nd go round of the stomach flu was much more vigilant and messy. It was only a matter of hours after that I started to feel it. Same thing happened to me, at first it was weakness and nausea/tummy cramping, thought it was done and then it hit full blown a day later (that was all of it, fever, chills, aches, severe stomach cramping, vomiting and diarrhea). Sucked bad! Both my husband and I got it simultaneously. Both of us were sporting our puke buckets on each side of the bed on Friday night. Kids were having a house party while we were sulking in bed. Good times!!!

I’m looking forward to getting back to the gym tomorrow and the house is getting a much needed wipe down. Sundays are big meal prep days/shopping days for me, it’s important I start the week off right with everything readily available.

With the exception of the last day and half, contest prep has been going steady. At the beginning of the month I attended my first bikini posing class. Big shout out to Elaine for the great Posing seminar and thank you to Julie Michaelson for hosting! It was great fun, the ladies were awesome, and let’s just say I’ve got some major work to do! This mom of 3, with her swagger wagon and yoga pants, needs to channel her inner diva! I’ll let you know when I find her :) Till then I’ll be practicing at my local QFC pushing my grocery cart with class and sass in some high heel shoes if anyone wants a laugh J

As a hobby photographer, I want to suggest how beneficial it is to take progress photos of your journey. You don’t need a fancy camera to do this; your phone camera or a point and shoot will work just fine (if you have a tripod, even better). If you can’t get someone to snap the image for you, use a mirror. Take a full front photo, side and back (you'll need a helper for this one). I would suggest taking your photos in the same spot every time and from the same vantage point that way you can see the changes in muscle and definition and you’re not distracted by crazy angles and backgrounds. Don’t forget to document your stats too; it helps if you know your body comp to have that info with the photos as well. I don’t have many images at my heaviest or even when I started training back in July and I wish I did now. It was fun to compare side by sides of pre contest weight/body fat with this week; I’ve come a long way!

Till next time

~Julie

Tags: Posing | photos | Emerald Cup | Craig Productions

Dr Buff

Get Into Auto-Pilot

02.04.2012 07:18:00

I cannot take credit for this. This is from Roger and Ally Baker of RAB Fitness over in Kennewick, WA. Truer words were never spoken of a competitor and Competition Coach!

"In case you forgot, here's the thing about being a competitor... you wake up every day knowing that you may or may not see changes in the mirror [or] on the scale... and this does not shake you. It may be WEEKS before you see any changes. Some weeks will be awesome. Some not. Instant gratification is not in your vocabulary. You've heard this before and I'll say it again, THERE IS NO OFF-SEASON! That means that you REALIZE the dedication, sacrifice, time, sweat [and] tears that will go into this even in the dead of winter when no is looking or even paying attention. Now, this isn't something that I can just tell you and you will learn. Only time and experience will teach you this. So, if you are the one that is out there struggling today...take a deep breath, remove yourself from in front of the mirror, and get into auto pilot. Because this is just the beginning and if you stick to the plan.... you will be rewarded... " Roger/Ally Baker – RAB Fitness

Roger and Ally NAILED it on the head with this one! Look, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – if you wanna be a competitor – a GOOD competitor - then you’d better be willing to do what others won’t, don’t, and can’t. It’s not about motivation. It’s not about inspiration. It’s not about the trophy or the glitz and glamour of the night show. It’s not about size and muscularity and freakiness or anything else. Competition is preparation, pure and simple. Oh sure, we end up on stage looking our absolute best (or at least that’s the goal) but the contest is not about the end result. It’s about the journey – it always has been about the journey and it always will be about the journey. Several sayings that I’ve coined over the years and use on my website goes like this:

“Many competitors want to win. Do work first. Do not put the win before the work!” David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

“You’re not always going to win, but you sure as hell better train like a winner!” David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

“I don't believe in motivation. I believe in preparing oneself so that when you step onstage you will have the necessary confidence, conditioning, and stage presence to be competitive against your peers. Motivation will not give you that. Only work will." David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Do me a favor – re-read Rog & Ally’s post one more time, this time with conviction and purpose. Read it out loud! Take every word to heart because, trust me, they both have! You don’t get to the caliber of either of them without hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. There IS NO instant gratification. There IS NO easy workouts. And there sure as hell IS NO OFF-SEASON! Not an off-season, not an off-day, not an off-hour.

Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, traditionally a day of feasting and festivities. All I can say is, if you wanna put yourself in the best possible position to take first place, then you’d better enjoy the festivities without the feast! Some of you will get this…many of you won’t. And it will show onstage on April 20^th or 21^st, trust me. Personally, I’m gonna watch the game, but all by myself, at home, in my chicken and salad and green beans and yams and potatoes and rice infested house. No temptations. No struggles. Just me. Is it worth it? That’s the question each of you will have to ask yourself Sunday morning…”Is this worth it?” What do you CHOOSE to do in two days? Because remember, no one is holding a gun to your head. It will be your choice – it always has been and it always will be. If the choice is to ‘stick to the plan’, then as Rog and Ally said, “You will be rewarded…”. Peace…

The Dr.

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"Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!"

Dr Buff

Super Bowl or Super Feast?

02.01.2012 13:24:30

The rapper-turned-actor, Ice Cube, once said in one of his songs from back in the day, “Y’betta check yo’self before y’wreck yo’self…”. That’s my advice to many of you this coming Sunday – Super Bowl Sunday. For the majority of the world, Super Bowl Sunday is a day of eating, relaxation, trash-talking, eating, watching the game, entertaining, eating, yelling at the guys, yelling at the refs, yelling at (and gettin’ your head knocked off later) your wife…and let’s not forget the most important thing…eating!

Ahhh yes…Super Bowl Sunday…having the guys come over, throwing some steaks or burgers on the grill, opening up the bags of Lays Chips, Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, and all the other O’s, along with nuts, dips, beer, coolers, wine, alcohol, and anything else your ethnicity adds in. For many, it’s the life – the day that’s bigger than Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Mom’s Day, and all the others combined. But for the competitor…nada…

Well…lemme rephrase…for the SERIOUS competitor – for the competitor who understands the task at hand and knows what he or she needs to do – for the competitor who has committed to achieving his or her all-time best look – for the competitor who understands sacrifice – for the competitor who has said over and over and over again, “This is MY show…”…nada - Super Bowl Sunday is just another day.

Personally, I’m gonna watch the game, but I’ll watch it at home all alone. I don’t mind. It doesn’t bother me. I haven’t watched a Super Bowl game with family or company in several years for a couple reasons. One, I like to WATCH AND LISTEN to the game. Do you guys know how hard that is with a room full of black people milling about? We are LOUD! Especially when we’re in a social environment! Don’t believe me? Just ask Elaine Craig or Tony Ruggiero what they thought the first time they came to one of The Dr’s house parties…they were like, “WTH…these people are CRAZY!” That’s how we roll. We have fun. And we’re loud. And because of that, I don’t want ‘em in my house when I wanna watch the game. I love my peoples but I like peace and quiet when watching the Super Bowl so I can hear everything, especially the commercials. I remember one year I had a bunch of people over. The noise level was so intense I went into my bedroom, closed the door, hooked the headphones up to the TV, and watched the rest of the game in there. That’s just me. I don’t need the social interaction to enjoy myself. If you can be kinda quiet and be into the game, you can come over. If you wanna talk the whole game, I’m not the guy for you.

Two, the Super Bowl is a complete and total food fest. Every time I either held a party or went to a Super Bowl party, it seemed to be more about the food than the game. With 11 weeks to go this Saturday, there’ll be some of you who definitely need to stay home! You know who you are. Don’t think you can go over to your partner’s/girlfriend’s house and not eat or drink anything and just watch the game like a good little boy or girl…yea…right…

You know you’ll be in that dip faster than a pig in space. It’s been my own personal experience and from talking with so many competitors that days like the Super Bowl are ‘traumatic’ to say the least, for many. I know I want to eat. I know I’m GOING to eat. That’s why it’s easier for me to stay home. Even when I took my own food I cheated. To me it was like Thanksgiving…there’s absolutely no way I was gonna be around all of that food and not touch one single bite. And once I started, I gave in to my Thanksgiving mantra, “I’m gonna eat ‘till I get sick…”. Now there’s a select few of you that can tolerate the food and not give in. Not me. And if you know you’re in that category as well, then my recommendation would be to stay home. It’s not worth it. Once you go into the pool you’re gonna end up in the deep end real quick!

All joking aside, Super Bowl Sunday is a great day for friendship, camaraderie, and peace of mind. We gather, we enjoy each other’s company, and we party. Nothing wrong with that. But know who you are. And know what you will and will not do. If your mental discipline is not that strong, my recommendation is to forego the fellowship and enjoy the game in the privacy of your own home. I’d hate to see someone ‘blow it’ this Sunday by pigging out thinking they’ve got enough time to dial in when they were sitting on the cusp to begin with. Don’t make your work any harder than it has to be. But if you do choose to party like a rock star and eat like Oprah Winfrey, then be ready for one of two things…harder work or a butt-kicking at the 30^th Anniversary Emerald Cup! You’ve been warned…peace…

The Dr.

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"Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!"

Julie N

12 weeks

02.01.2012 02:24:33

“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” Erich Fromm

So far this journey to the stage for Emerald Cup has been amazing; it’s far superseded any of my wildest expectations. I really had no idea how empowering this entire process would be. If competing is something you think you might want to do, but think you can’t, I’d highly recommend you give it a shot!

I started back in July with 45% body fat, I had NO muscle definition; I was a marshmallow! My kids called me squishy, I like to refer to it as height challenged. Since then, I’ve dropped a substantial amount of body fat. My perception of what I look like versus what I actually look like is not quite on the same page yet. I still think of myself as “fluffy Julie”, but every now and then I catch glimpse in the mirror of this much thinner and fitter me, it’s AWESOME! Little shameless confession yesterday while at the gym, I was admiring the more svelte me (when no one was looking of course) I couldn’t help myself from flexing those arms to check out those guns (ok, they are wee bitty guns) and even attempted to strike a bikini pose. The whole experience left me feeling giddy.

Back in July when I started working with Julie, she advised to pack up all the skinny clothes. I wasn’t ready to get rid of them, but boxing them up outta sight was a good way to remove the distraction. A few weeks ago I pulled out the old skinny jeans, only to find that my old skinny jeans were too big, and so was everything else in the boxes. At this point, my emotional attachments in many ways are now being lifted and freed as I experience this journey. While I hung on to the clothing from my “skinny” days in hopes of getting back in shape, no need to hang on anymore I’m knocking those goals out of the park!

Relating back to emotional attachments, losing weight has also dug up some old baggage and really forced me to deal with some of my deeper food and self-image issues. I hadn’t realized just how much I covered myself up to protect myself from fear of judgment. Obviously, this goes far deeper and back to my childhood, but I’ll save that for another post. By having to face the baggage as each raw layer of emotion is exposed, I feel it has strengthened my resolve and conviction to want to live healthier and be my best self.

These little milestones, while they may not seem big to some, are huge to me. I each day, each meal, each successfull day on plan, each workout, resisting temptations, I feel stronger in the lifestyle and empowered to do anything. It’s a wonderful feeling! My attitude shows it, I’m much happier at home, more content, at peace with myself, and much more outgoing. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing!”

Huge kudos and thanks to my coach, Julie Michaelson for guiding me and encouraging me in this process! I couldn’t have made it thus far without her! Thank you to Elaine Craig for allowing me to share my journey with all of you. To all you, best wishes in your journey!!!

Tags: Emerald Cup | Bikini | Craig Productions | Thoughts

Dr Buff

If It Ain't On The LIst, Don't Eat It!

02.01.2012 00:10:03

Last blog I promised to write on nutrition, so here we go. Even though I’ve written dozens of blogs and probably hundreds of articles on nutrition over the years, and written quite a few on this site over the past 3 years, there’s always a new competitor who doesn’t know this game. And I also know that one person’s way of saying something just might make sense to a reader over another person’s writing style. What I’m saying is not new, not revolutionary, and definitely not the gospel on nutrition, but if it can help someone, then I’ve done my job. So lemme see if I can help that one person…and perhaps remind others of where they should be and what they should be doing in their own nutrition.

This past weekend we were 12-weeks out from the 30^th Anniversary Emerald Cup. At this point, unless you’re roughly 12 lbs. or less out from your show, you should be 100% on task. What does that entail? Well…before I get into that, let me say that the number of ways to diet down are as many as the styles of Martial Arts…everyone has their own style, and they all think their style is the best. I’m not gonna argue with anyone on what the ‘best’ way to diet down is. I’ve said this many times, “All diets work, and all diets fail…”. What I WILL say is, find out what ‘plan’ works best for you and stick to it. Quit jumping from one competition diet to another. That’s why you shouldn’t get fat in the first place – so you’ll have enough time to experiment with different plans until you find the one that works best for you. Secondly, know your body type. That will typically tell you what plan(s) fall in your diet-sphere. Finally, if you need help, find someone who’s knowledgeable in ALL the ways of dieting down – not just the one way in which he/she dieted down. That way, if/when you get stuck, your competition coach will know how to take the appropriate action to get you coming down again.

I’ve seen it too many times before…a trainer who does decent in a show decides to become a ‘competition coach’ and toss his/her hat into the ring. I don’t have a problem with that as long as the trainer possesses enough knowledge and information to help ALL his/her clients – not just the ones built like him or her. Otherwise the competitor client ends up on a cookie-cutter routine or an exact replica of what the trainer does. Not smart. Not good for the competitor. Just last year I picked up 3 people whose trainers, although nationally qualified, didn’t have a clue on how to dial their people down. Sometimes the most dangerous trainer is the brand new one. As my professor, Dr. Hacker, used to constantly tell us, “A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous…”. I’ve helped many a competition coach through the dieting down stages of their clients because they (the coaches) were lost. The client stalled and the trainer didn’t know which way to go with him/her. Heck, even I still get mystified over a client every now and then. But this blog isn’t about trainers, so back on point…

We learned last blog that with 12 weeks to go, one could easily drop 10-12 lbs. of bodyfat on 1 to 1-1/2 hours of cardio and clean foods. 13 to about 20 lbs. would take around 1-1/2 to 2 hours with clean foods, while 21 or more lbs. probably would take at least 2 hours a day. Now I know some of you are wondering or questioning this info…well…I’m a cardio person, so that’s what I do and teach. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know the other ways. If you’re not a cardio person, then you’d better be ready to drop those total calories, and especially those carb calories to lean out. And if you’re a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) person and you’re pushing hard enough (and your calories are dropped enough) you can get by on one session of 30 minutes...but you’d better be ready to bust your butt, and I mean bust it HARD for that to happen. So are we clear on the cardio/no cardio/long cardio thing? I know em all, so if you need any explanation on whether you should use this or that method, holla.

Realizing that everyone is different, and this is just general information, I can’t categorically say where you’re at on the continuum and what you need to do unless I see and comp you. So I’ll use me as an example and everyone can adjust accordingly. I just cut my oatmeal to 25 gm wt with a slice of Dave’s Killer Bread as my starch for breakfast. My protein is either egg whites with some turkey breast (that amount’s classified…) or chicken. I eat what THIS body needs, realizing that I’m not a mass monster, and I know how my body works, and I know my timeline. Since my cardio is still only 45 minutes in the morning, I’m s-l-o-w-l-y dropping my starchy carbs and replacing it with Parrillo Performance’s CapTri – a medium chain triglyceride that’s called the ‘fatless fat’. It processes and acts like a carb in the system, making dieting slightly more tolerable. I only take my starchy carbs so low up to 8 weeks out and then I up my cardio to one 60-minute session. Then I’ll see how the body is responding and stair-step the carbs/cardio cuts until I achieve the look I want. All of this is assuming this ole’ body will hold up to the rigors of contest dieting…

The rest of my meals are simple – protein, veggies, carbs, in that order. I adjust as I need to based upon my timeline. What you have to understand is how to manipulate your macros, meaning we’re all eating protein, veggies, and carbs…the question is, how much do YOU get to eat, and what’s your ratio compared to mine compared to Joe’s, Sally’s, Bertha’s and all the other competitors. Another question you have to ask is HOW MUCH do I get to eat in relation to everyone else? If Big Bradd gets to eat 750 cal/meal and I try to eat what he eats, I’ll blow up faster than your kid’s summer beach ball. Now do you see why I don’t like and don’t do cookie-cutter diets? If no two people are exactly the same, how is it possible for those same two people to be on exactly the same food plan…especially if one is a 5’4”, 135 lb. female and the other is a 5’10” 195 lb. male? It’ll never work. Either one will dial in beautifully and the other will look like crap, or they’ll both be off their macros and neither will dial in to their best look.

Every person I work with, I get as much detailed info on their life and what they’ve done in the past to give me clues into what ‘plan’ will work best for that individual. Some are similar, no doubt, but some are totally way out there. For example, last year I had Gerry Bernabe, the bantamweight overall winner at the Wash. Ironman pretty much doing what he wanted until the final 3 weeks or so. His body was a genetic marvel so the best thing I could do for him was to get out of his way until the last few days and then dial him in. Barb O’Dell, on the other hand, (the Most Inspirational Award at the Ironman for having lost 180 lbs. on her way to the stage WITHOUT surgery or drugs…) had to start doing double cardio sessions 18 weeks out as her body was stubborn in releasing fat. I was wracking my brains trying to figure out how to keep her from stalling as her normally obese body was fighting her every step of the way once she got below 200 lbs. It may seem easy, but it’s not. When you’re dialing in a dozen plus competitors, let’s just say that good note-taking is highly recommended. There’s no way I can remember everyone’s individualized food plans, and when I don’t keep track, it shows!

IN GENERAL, I can tell you that many of you will fall into the 3-8 oz. of protein/meal based upon size, muscularity, sex, lifestyle, etc. Being off an ounce or two over the course of your diet doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal, but it can be the difference between 1^st and 3^rd come contest day. That’s why it’s important to know your body and understand your macronutrient ratios and amounts. Your veggies are easy – unlimited amounts for the majority of you. If you need an amount, then go with 7-10 oz. (that’s 150-200 gm wt for you metric people). The starchy carbs are the lil’ tricky creatures. Some of you might do well with large amounts, some with literally none, and some dispersed in small amounts throughout the day. Again, it would be unwise of me tell an entire readership what to do and expect it to work for everyone. But I can tell you that once you find that magic number of carbs that YOUR body needs, you’ll know it within a week – guaranteed! And once you find your numbers, then follow it! Don’t be haphazardly changing things up thinking you know better than your coach or you read this or that saying this is what you should do. FOLLOW THE PLAN!!! If you’re doing your own diet, you HAVE to give it about a week to 10 days to see the effects of it. You’ll know in that period of time if it’s working. If not, make subtle changes. If you’ve hired a coach, do what the coach says! That’s the only way your coach can determine what’s working for you and what isn’t.

Well, that’s about it for this blog. I’ve got just some chicken to eat for my last meal. I might have half of a Parrillo Protein bar right before bed…don’t’cha just hate those people who can still eat literally right up to bed and still diet down…peace…

The Dr.

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www.juliemichaelsontraining.com,

"Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!"

Julie

Got Obstacles?

01.19.2012 02:47:29

“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” ~Vince Lombardi

It’s no secret: I am NOT a fan of the snow. For various reasons but the top 2 would be: being trapped indoors with 4 children for several days and not being able to work. For people without children a snow day sounds blissful. Come hang out at my house for a day with my foursome and you’ll probably wish for rain to come and wash away the snow STAT!!

I will say that the snow has been a nice excuse to sleep in the last couple of days. I should qualify that I use the term “sleeping in” quite loosely. I have been up by 5:45am every day this week. But it sure beats my usual 4am wake up time. The roads and the gym have been empty and it’s actually been kind of nice.

Something I notice among clients and gym friends and people in general…when the daily routine is thrown off by something like a snow day, not only does the workout often get sacrificed, but almost more importantly, the nutrition goes by the wayside. If you are preparing to compete in the Emerald Cup in just over 13 weeks, now is not the time to allow yourself to be derailed by a little snow! It’s really important to stick to your nutrition plan, eat all your scheduled meals and don’t use the snow as an excuse to “junk out.” This week feels a lot like a holiday…but it’s not. It’s important to remind yourself of that, stay focused on your goals and stay on track.

Have you allowed the weather to impact the quantity and/or quality of your workouts? You shouldn’t. Where there is a will, there’s a way! You might need to find a ride to the gym, you might need to find a way to do your cardio at home. But trust me, if you really want it bad enough you WILL find a way to get it done. What’s stopping you and more importantly, WHY?

Use this time to rest, while still keeping your nutrition and training on track. The next 13 weeks will be grueling if you’re doing it right so take advantage of a little down-time to get some extra sleep, sneak in a nap or just get more prepared for the days, weeks and months ahead.

A goal that you are committed to achieving will not allow room for any EXCUSES!!! Stay focused and recommit yourself if you need to…and if you’re heart’s not in it, give yourself permission not to do it!

~Julie~

Fearless, with cape in hand…committed to the GOLD Tiara!!

Twitter: @IrieFitGirl

Dr Buff

Pavlov's Dog Theory applied...

01.18.2012 14:49:57

Yesterday afternoon one of the independent trainers who leases the use of my facility had one of his clients in. The trainer’s client was nice. Talkative but nice. I was in the middle of my workout and I guess he didn’t quite understand gym etiquette rules – the number one rule being “You don’t talk to a person in the middle of a set, especially when he’s in full contest prep mode for the Emerald Cup”! Newbies…gotta love em, huh? N-E-Whooo…after about the 4^th time of me ignoring him (I’m never rude or mean…I just continue to ignore people during the set, and when I’m done I casually look over and ask, “Did you say something?” By the 3^rd or 4^th time they usually ‘get it’…) he left me alone until the end of the workout. Then came the flood of questions. Now mind you, this is not my client. I, for the most part, deliberately stay out of the gym when other trainers are in there to avoid awkward situations such as this. But sometimes life gets in the way and I’ve gotta get my workout in when I can get it in, and yesterday was one of those days. The conversation first started off in the form of a statement…

Him: “You’ve got a great gym here, Dave!”

Me: “Thank you…appreciate it…”

Him: “Really nice – love the layout, pictures, sayings, and especially the privacy! I hated going to that other gym we used to train at.”

Me: “Thanks…”

Him: “Hey, can I ask you something?” (This coming while his trainer is standing right there…the trainer looks at his client, then me).

Me: “Yea…what?”, I cautiously reply. I’ve always been of the mindset that I don’t ‘steal’ clients from other trainers, and because of that philosophy, I shy away from answering questions from new lifters who have trainers. No, I’m not egotistical – far from it! But I do have a Master’s Degree in this field and over 37 years’ experience as a trainer, competition coach, and competitor, going up against an early 20-something, 2-day certified trainer in my own gym – game over if I want it to be.

Him: “What’s your take on cardio? I mean, how much do you do and what do you think I should do?” His trainer now has that deer-in-the-headlights stare as he looks at me…

Me: “Personally, I do 45 minutes every day – been doing that for years…but for you I recommend you ask your trainer. He can answer that for you”. The trainer kinda breathes a sigh of relief…

Him: “Yea, but we’re in the same age group (we’re both in our 50’s) so I was wondering if I need to do something different because of my age…”

Me: “[Your trainer] can answer…that’s an easy question…”.

I tried to get out of the gym but the client kept asking questions. I kept referring him back to his trainer, but this dude was really pushing for answers. I even tried to defer the conversation to the trainer but he was in over his head. Finally the client started talking more than asking questions, so I just listened. He got on the topic of foods (doesn’t everybody?) and said, “I gotta tell ya, Dave, one of the best meals to have for dinner is…” and then goes off on this in-depth explanation of food preparation with wild hand gestures, wide-eyed looks, excitement, animation, and all the other adjectives. I listened for a few minutes as he described how to make an Italian dish with yada, yada, yada…finally I stopped him.

Me: “You’re a food addict.”

Him: “Huh?”

Me: “You’re a food addict…you’re addicted to food! Listen to you – you’re getting more and more excited as you talk about and describe how to make the meal.” He looked at me with this incredulous look. “You’re Pavlov’s Dog.” Laughter…

“I’m serious – you’re Pavlov’s Dog theory in human form. You’re literally salivating as you describe the food dishes. You’re so excited it’s crazy!”

Him: He pauses for a second as he’s thinking…”Wow! I never looked at it that way! Yea…I guess you could say I’ve got a love affair with food…”

We continued the conversation for a few more minutes and then I bugged out. After I came in the house I realized that at the seminar I held this past weekend 3 of the participants got up to share their story and they all said the same thing – “I’m addicted to food!” Now this is no revelation to me. I mean, I deal with people and their foods on a daily basis. But with everyone dialing down for the EC and Vancouver, I thought it might be a good thing to see if you too have a ‘Pavlov’s Dog’ mindset.

Do you constantly think about your next meal? Are you literally foaming at the mouth as you count down the minutes to ‘chow time’? If so, you might be Pavlov’s Dog! Do you post to FB every time you get ready to eat, while you eat, and finish eating? If so, then you just might be a Pavlov Dog. Are you on a weekly cheat meal (a better question is why in the world would you need a cheat meal this far out?) and all you can do is talk about your cheat meal all week long leading up to your cheat meal like it’s your last meal on Death Row? Yea…you know it…you’re probably a Pavlov Dog. Are you looking at every McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, and every other fast food sign you drive by with unabashed wanton lust in your eyes and mouth watering? You just crossed over into the Pavlov’s Dog Zone. Do you get a ‘contact high’ every time you pass candy, chips, or donuts? Bow-Wow…

C’mon people, it’s just food! While I can appreciate a good meal, especially a good home-cooked meal, the thought of food is not all-encompassing and literally orgasmic to me. Food is fuel, pure and simple. It’s energy to allow me to replenish what I just expended or get ready for what I’m about to do. I don’t have a love affair with food. Now I know this isn’t gonna sit right with a lot of you, but you’ve gotta understand the task at hand here and how the mind works.

If all you do is think and talk about food during your contest diet, you’re gonna have one hell of a hard diet! Yes, we’re gonna talk about it, yes, we’re gonna get sick of the foods we eat, and yes, we’ll be so glad when the contest is over. I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you and say that the commercials won’t become more appealing as I get closer, and that pizza contest night will be oh so good, but as long as I’m on task, they’re bearable. But the one thing I’ve learned NOT to do is continually talk about food to every single person I meet during the day. I don’t blast out on FB to all who’ll listen (and to those that don’t really care as well) every morsel that goes in my mouth. If all you do is think about food, talk about food, and write about food, then food will be a major issue for you. Self-fulfilling prophecy will kick in for many – they’ll sabotage themselves because they’ve got food on the brain. You’ll start justifying a small piece of this, a little bite of that, a slice or taste of this…and the next thing you know it’s showtime and you’re still 5-7-10 lbs. away from stage look, all because of your Pavlovian ‘addiction’ to food.

Your thoughts instead should shift to how you’ll look contest day. See yourself as you want to see yourself onstage that morning, and I promise you the foods and meals will be more bearable and tolerable. Talk about anything BUT foods. Learn to control your foods and your thoughts about foods rather than let foods control you. It’s hard. For many it’ll be a learned behavior. It’s sorta like learning how to speak positively and upbeat instead of negatively and gossipy. It CAN be done. It’ll take work, but once you learn to change your thoughts and focus by changing your behavior the food issues will fade…and your onstage look will improve!

If you find yourself breaking out into a sweat, getting anxious, excited, all shakey, almost panting and turning in circles over the anticipation of your next meal…I got a bone for ya…I’m just sayin…peace.

The Dr.

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